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of NS Honey Bee Industry of NS Honey Bee Industry of NS Honey Bee Industry of NS Honey Bee Industry Jason Sproule,

Provincial ApiculturistProvincial ApiculturistProvincial ApiculturistProvincial Apiculturist

NS Department of Agriculture March 3, 2018

2

Beekeeper Responsibilities under the Act

• Annual Registration by NOVEMBER 1st

• BK code visible in every apiary

• Permits are needed to import bees

• Sell to only registered beekeepers

• Inspections needed to sell or gift bees & equipment

• No immovable frame hives

• Reportable diseases and pests (AFB, SHB, and others)

• Clean orderly bee yards – no access to infected comb

• Record keeping, particularly sellers

• Comply with orders issued by inspectors

• Provide apiary locations within 24 h when requested

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Honey Bee Industry Statistics

• 600 registered beekeepers in 2017,600 registered beekeepers in 2017,600 registered beekeepers in 2017,600 registered beekeepers in 2017,• 227 new beekeepers

• 41 commercial beekeepers (> 50 hives)

• 6 beekeepers keeping > 500 hives

• 25,750 hives in summer 2017, 25,750 hives in summer 2017, 25,750 hives in summer 2017, 25,750 hives in summer 2017, • 2016/17 winter survival = 86.8%

• 18,743 hives used for pollination

• Additional 432 imports for pollination

• 9,953 hives for honey production

• Pollination Income est. value = $2.6MPollination Income est. value = $2.6MPollination Income est. value = $2.6MPollination Income est. value = $2.6M• avg hive rental price = $138.16/hive

• Honey Production est. Honey Production est. Honey Production est. Honey Production est. • avg: 51.32 lbs/hive = 509,892 lbs total0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

20

08

20

09

20

10

20

11

20

12

20

13

20

14

20

15

20

16

20

17

Maritime Hive #s

NS NB PEI

4

2818 15

29

1325

41 35 4047

55

82 88

114

145

227

20

02

20

03

20

04

20

05

20

06

20

07

20

08

20

09

20

10

20

11

20

12

20

13

20

14

20

15

20

16

20

17

5

47

2,526

1518

151

3,6751,926

315

Number of Hives by County (2017)

6

ImportsNZ

packages

Australia

Packages

Australia

Queens

NZ

Queens

Hawaii

Queens

California

Queens

Chile

Queens

Canadian

Queens

2017 704 0 0 1408 1470 725 935 356

2016 2816 400 100 3050 2300 665 100 435

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Colony Inspections

Beekeepers

Inspected

Yards Colonies in

yards

Colonies

inspected

Chalkbrood Sacbrood DFW EFB

Totals 36 44 1184 377 (32%) 42 (11%) 9 (2.5%) 4 (1%) 4 (1%)

� 1 waxmoth observed in hive.

� 1 operation to submit + AFB samples; lab confirms oxytet effective.

� No prohibitions for sale; some restrictions where diseases were identified.

� 650 hives also inspected in NB; 432 permitted for import.

Prompted by: Sale, Export, Import, Complaint, or haphazard.

Anyone selling or transferring ownership of bees in NS is

required to arrange for inspection with the Provincial

Apiculturist.

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Winter Mortality 2007-2017

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14 14/15 15/16 16/17

% C

olo

ny

Mo

rtali

ty

NS

Canada

US

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Import Protocol Amendments for 2018

• Import of used hiveware (supers, brood chambers,

frames, feeders, covers, bottoms, etc.) is prohibited.

• Import of honey bee colonies (hives, nucs, package

bees) from other provinces is prohibited.

• Exceptions will not be granted to maintain trade

with PEI.

• Canadian Queens to be sourced from approved

breeding programs only.

• Reduction in the number of queens sourced from

other countries.

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• Contact Jason Sproule, Provincial Apiculturist to request an import permit.

• Arrival times for queens must be communicated 48 h in advance.

• Attendant worker bees in queen cages from California, or Canadian Provinces must

be destroyed.

• Imports are subject to the Import Protocol and any specific conditions described in

the permit.

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Health Canada is requiring greater Veterinary oversight for the use of medically-important

antimicrobials in an effort to mitigate resistance development.

Effective Dec 1st, 2018 a Veterinary Prescription will be needed to use Medically

Important Antibiotics in Animals

http://dowgardens.wix.com/dg2/apps/blog/bee-hive-

evaluation-and-maintenance-spring-2011

Changes to Oversight of Antimicrobials

• Includes: Oxyteracylcine, tylosin, lincomycin for AFB treatment

• Does not include Fumagilin

Remaining Challenges

• Veterinarian education & buy in

• Defining the Veterinary Client Patient Relationship (VCPR)

• Dispensing – requirement of an Drug Establishment License

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Open Syrup Feeding• In November 2015, the NSBA requested changes to the Bee Industry Regulations to disallow open feeding

between May 15 to September 15.

• Reasons cited were contamination of honey with sugar syrup and/or antibiotics.

• The request was reviewed in 2016 and it was determined that there was not enough information to

support a regulation change.

• This information was communicated to the NSBA in Spring of 2017.

• Basis for rejection:

• The Act does not allow for this change to the Regulations.

• No evidence was available at to support the contamination claim.

• No science-based evidence is available concerning disease transmission or honey adulteration.

• Extremely limited history of regulatory success in other Provinces. Most Acts do not address this.

• Is a valuable practice to industry in certain situations.

• Could result in a substantial burden of producers to verify honey quality.

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https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/em9150/html

Larvae Adults

White to cream colour Reddish brown to black colour

Has spines in rows along back Shortened wing covers expose tip of abdomen

Only 3 legs (no prolegs) 5-7mm long (1/3 size of honey bee), 3mm wide

Soft body, hardened head capsule Retractable antennae clubs

Up to 1 cm in length Fine hair over entire body

Small Hive Beetle (Aethina tumida)

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2. Identification &

Communication

Expedient confirmation of

infestation.

• Sample submission to

diagnostic labs

• Identify extent of

infestation

• Investigate possible

origins

• Notify regulatory bodies

& stakeholders

• Determine others at risk

3. Quarantine &

Detainment

To minimize further

spread of infestation.

• Detainment of +

yards

• Quarantine of

larger regions

• Release is possible

1. Surveillance

Goal: Early discovery of

SHB incursions into NS

offers best results for

mitigation of impacts.

• ID at risk operations

• Trap Deployment

• Routine Inspection

• Self Reporting

4. Eradication &

ManagementTo prevent establishing a

reproducing population.

• Depopulation of

infested hives

promotion of BMPS

• Disinfection of

equipment

• Implementing BMPs

Guiding principles for responding to the discovery of Small Hive Beetle in Nova Scotia

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Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!